Spectral Revolution
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: AU. Nineteen year old Sam Manson has always felt that there's something wrong about the world around her, has always felt that there is something missing. After scoring an impressive internship in Emperor Master's palace, she finds herself becoming entangled with a group of revolutionaries, determined to bring the Emperor down. But is that the whole truth of the story?
1. The World is Wrong

Author's Note: IT'S _HERE_. The brand, spanking new AU. Those of you who aren't fans of first person, do not fear, as only most of the first chapter will be in first person. For reasons you will probably understand by the end of the chapter. My first person is a little rusty, so if I slip up in places, that's probably why. Anyways, I've been mucking around with this for awhile now, and the first chapter is probably the easiest one I've ever had to write.

Also Tucker's hairstyle is shamelessly inspired by images that tumblr user **beccadrawsstuff **because it is the actual **best **alternate Tucker hairstyle? You should all go look at her blog it is great and has great art on it. Also before I forget, there is a sketch for this AU, of Danny and Dani, which can be found here, once you take out the spaces: bekuki. deviantart (add a dot com and a slash here) art/DP-Revolutionaries-361008080

So, as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy! Danny Phantom is not mine, and if you would be so kind, leave a review and tell me what you think.

* * *

Spectral Revolution

Chapter One: The World is Wrong

"Alright, Manson. Just remember to breathe, and everything will be _fine_."

A deep breath filled my lungs, generating a wave of relief that fought back the uneasiness that had been churning in my stomach since that morning as I breathed out. Although my heart was still pounding in my chest, I felt my head clear some, and hoped that the person giving me my interview would notice how sweaty my nerves had made my palms. Pausing to check my appearance once more, assuring that my hair was neatly in place, and that I had not acquired any strange stains on my clothing, I nodded my head, finally pulling open the door before me.

The inside of the reception area looked like any number of ones that I had seen before. A long white table, littered with magazines several issues out of date, and couches on each side, with chairs scattered about. I wasn't alone, of course I wasn't- it wasn't every day that the Environmental Services Bureau opened up a spot for an internship. I felt their gazes fall upon me as I entered, and fought back the urge to glower at them, namely the ones who gave out a faint sigh of relief when they saw me, assured that I was not a threat.

Making my way up to the receptionist, I gave her my best smile- not really something I'm all that good at. But if it were a means to obtaining a fast entrance to my dream job of choice? Then I would smile away.

"Hello there. I'm here for the internship interview. Samantha Manson?" I told her. Behind me, I could hear someone mutter something underneath their breath, recognizing the Manson name. I could take a wild guess that I was more of a threat now- but if they thought I was going to use my parent's influence to score this position, then they had another thing coming.

"Oh yes, Miss Manson." The receptionist said, smiling back at me. She pulled something up on her computer, and nodded her head. "We'll call you when we're ready for you. Until then, have a seat, and fill out this questionnaire." She told me, sliding a clipboard with several papers attached to it underneath the slit in the window. "Do you need a pen?"

"I have one." I told her, smiling again, and found myself an empty chair, setting myself to the task before me. A fairly standard set of questions, things that I had expected. Using my neatest handwriting, I carefully filled it out, pausing to check everything over twice before I set it down. The door opened as I finished, and I took a quick glance back, watching as a young man walked out of the office. From the look on his face, I could make a guess that his interview had bombed, and I felt a bit bad for the guy.

But at the same time, well- one less person to worry about.

The Environmental Services Bureau was one of the few government agencies that had it's headquarters in Amity Park. I always thought that the number was strangely small, considering that the Emperor and his wife lived here. In fact, it was even located in a small wing off of the main palace- just getting in here had taken a lot of security screenings. It wasn't that surprising though- after all, there were people out there who very much wanted to see Emperor Masters and his family dead.

With nothing else to do but wait, my gaze flickered up to the small television above me, switched to a news channel. It was on mute, of course, with subtitles crawling past on the top of the screen. Another one of those public interest stories, I thought, and stifled a yawn as the newscaster described the young boy's crusade against world hunger. Well, it was nice to see someone getting involved in activism that young, but see one of these kinds of stories, and frankly you've heard them all.

I'd been the same way though, when I was a child. My first protest occurred when I was seven, when I opposed the tearing down of the elementary school tulip bed to but in a basketball backboard. I'd sat myself right there, and refused to move no matter, and along with me were-

_ow_.

Placing a hand on my head, I tried to fight back the small, painful throb. The last thing I needed for a job interview was getting another one of my chronic headaches. I needed to focus, and I couldn't do that if my brain was screaming at me. Sighing a little as the pain finally slipped away, I frowned, wondering why it was that I thought someone had been with me. No, I'd protected the tulip bed alone.

I didn't exactly have any friends, after all, as depressing as that was. Oh sure, people would never peg me for the type to desire them, being the goth that I was, but I had always wanted to make friends with someone. I had a few casual acquaintances, to be sure, but nobody I could really call my friend.

Perhaps that was why I thought my life was empty, missing something sometimes. It was just a vague feeling, really, that there were people who were supposed to be in my life that were not. I'd spoken to my mother about it once, and she had laughed it off, telling me that I was just lonely- and for once, she was probably right.

Perhaps I'd be able to find some companions amongst my coworkers, should I make the internship.

No, not should- _would_. There was no way I was letting anyone beat me out for this position.

"Miss Manson?" The door to the office opened up, and a middle aged man stepped out, beckoning me with his hand. Smiling, I picked up the clipboard, and headed in behind him, taking a seat as he closed the door.

He took the clipboard from me, reading over it, silent for the first few minutes, before he set it down on his desk, taking a seat, giving me a smile. He had black hair, slicked back and worn short, and a pair of glasses that were just a bit too small for his face. I recognized him quickly- he was a very important person in the Bureau, and I couldn't help but blink.

"Ah, wondering what one of the chief officers is doing giving interviews, I see." He said, catching my surprise. "I like to do these things myself, to assure that we pick the best candidate. So tell me about yourself, Miss Manson- what is it that brings you here? A girl like you could surely find work anywhere."

"Because I care about the environment." I told him, feeling a bit dumb with my answer. "I want to ensure that the world I leave behind is a one future generations can enjoy for hundreds of years to come. I want a world where they won't look at a common animal or a plant in a textbook that we have today, and marvel over how they've never seen one."

"And that's what we do here." The man, Consus Rush, his desk's nameplate read, nodded his head. "Emperor Masters is very concerned with the upkeep of the planet, which is why we work directly out of the Royal Palace." He explained, although this was something I knew very well already. "What I meant to ask was- someone with your family's influence could get this job if she just had them ask for it. Why go through the long route?"

"Because if I do that, you could be passing up someone who is better than me." I told him firmly. "I want this position, but if there's someone out there better suited for it, then that accomplishes my goals all the same. I don't want to depend on my family for anything. I'm already nineteen years old, and in college. I need to make my own way in the world, not lean on them all the time."

"Ah, very good." Consus said, seeming pleased with my answer. He seemed to skim over something on his computer then, his brows raising slightly, and a quick smile formed on his face. "You're a native of Amity Park?"

"Yes." I nodded my head. "Born and raised here."

"I see you graduated with top honors from Casper High School. Very good grades in math and science." He noted. "And an impressive array of environmental activism. It says here you are an Ultra Recylo Vegetarian?"

"I don't eat anything with a face." I explained. "And nothing that's not renewable to some degree. Organic of course." I wasn't like someone I knew, who proudly proclaimed that he only ever ate meat.

I frowned at that, the dull throb in my head coming back. Someone I knew- but did I even know anyone who said that? Was it Dash? Perhaps, but it didn't feel like it.

"Miss Manson, are you alright?" Consus asked, a touch of worry to his voice. Clearly I was letting the throbbing of my head show through, and I shook my head, smiling at him as the pain died down again.

"I'm sorry, yes, I'm fine. Sometimes I just get these short headaches." I told him.

"Oh yes, that's in your medical history. Do they have any impact in your ability to work?" He asked, brows raising.

"No, not at all. They're very short, usually, and go away as quickly as they come." I told him. "Minor nuisances, if anything."

"Ah." He said simply, nodding his head. "Do you hope of obtaining this internship in hopes of being hired by the Environmental Services Bureau full time?" He inquired, changing the topic.

"Yes." I answered honestly. "It's my dream job to work here. I think I could make the most changes and improvements to the world from here."

"Very good, I like to see a young woman your age with ambition and a set goal." Consus said, nodding his head. "If you'll wait in the reception area until all the interviews are finished, I believe we'll have a conclusion for you one way or another today, Miss Manson."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Rush." I told him, inclining my head as I stood up. I shook his hand, taking note that he had rather cold ones, and he smiled at me. "It was very nice to meet you."

"You as well, Miss Manson." He told me, and with that, I made my way back to the reception area. Everyone glanced up as I exited, some of them not taking much heart in the fact that I still appeared full of confidence. I sat back in my chair, and turned by attention once more towards the television, as Consus called another interviewee back to his office.

I wished I hadn't because the throbbing returned. Eyes darting up to the subtitles of the mute television, I read them as if they were the food that I needed to live.

_'The search is still on for the wanted terrorist organization, Phantom, and it's members. Within the last week, Phantom has terrorized the citizens of France, launching an attack against the royal governor's mansion there. The royal governor is still missing, and with no ransom demands forthcoming, officials and citizens alike fear that he may be dead. If you have any leads on the members of Phantom, please do not hesitate to call the local police, or the Phantom Investigation Headquarters hotline. And again, we will be displaying the mug shots of the known members of Phantom momentarily.'_

Taking in shallow breaths, trying not to arouse suspicion from the rest of the interviewees, I found my gaze frozen on the screen, in spite of the throbbing pain in my head as the mug shots were displayed, one after another.

_Wanted: Gray, Valerie (19) Alias 'Red Hunter'. Considered Armed and Dangerous. Two million dollar for reward is in place for information leading to her arrest._

Black hair in a buzz cut, and fiercely glaring green eyes gazed out from the face of the young African-American woman. Off to the side were several more head shots, reflecting her appearance in her battle suit, black with red accents. She was an extremely dangerous combatant, I recalled, even when disarmed of weapons, she was still a ninth degree black belt.

_Wanted: Fenton, "Jazz" Jasmine (21) No known alias. Considered Armed and Dangerous. One million dollar reward is in place for information leading to her arrest. Wanted alive, not dead._

Fiery red hair, worn short in a bob, and an aqua hair band that matched the color of her eyes. There was a scar on her left cheek, marring what was otherwise a very pretty face. She was the one who enacted most of their plans, I recalled, a very smart young woman. It had always struck me as odd that she was the only one specified as being wanted alive.

And there was something about that name- 'Fenton'.

Dismissing the throbbing of my head, I focused on the next mug shot.

_Wanted: Foley, Tucker (19) No known alias. Considered Armed and Dangerous. One million dollar reward is in place for information leading to his arrest._

Another African-American, this one a male, with turquoise eyes, and dreads, worn tied back in a very short ponytail. A red beret was his trademark, as well his visor, used for more than just vision problems, I suspected. The inventor, a smart one, like Jazz, I recalled- and the throbbing only increased as I looked at his face.

I knew that stupid beret, and I didn't know why.

_Wanted: Fenton, "Dani" Danielle (16) Alias: Specter. Considered Armed and Dangerous. Two million dollar reward is in place for information leading to her death. Permission to kill on sight has been granted._

Two faces, this time. On the left, a young girl with black hair, worn in a high ponytail, and blue eyes. On the right, a girl with snow white hair and bright green eyes, but her face and hair were exactly the same. The mysterious, dual formed Specter, was a mystery, some kind of power user. It churned my stomach, to be honest, this one did, although she didn't hit the same not of strange recognition and deja vu that the others did. Nobody else seemed to question that the government wanted a sixteen year old girl dead, even if she was a terrorist.

And then, it was his turn, I knew, and I prepared myself for the roaring headache his picture would bring me.

_Wanted: Phantom (19) Real Name Unknown. Considered Armed and __**Extremely **__Dangerous. Five million dollar reward is in place for information leading to his death. Permission to kill on sight has been granted._

There were never any photos of Phantom showing his face, I knew that full well. The hood of a black hoodie concealed most of it, only letting green eyes peer through, blazing ones, like Specter's, although a deep, jagged scar ran through his right, which appeared to have no detrimental effect upon his vision. A fierce grin, as if challenging the viewers to come and get him, and black hair that could be seen peeking out from beneath his hood, hanging over his left eye.

I knew this face, I felt it in my bones, although I had never met this person in my life. But he felt at the same time, like someone I had known all of my years, and that somehow, without him around, my life was missing something. I couldn't understand why. I'd never told anyone about this, fearing that they might take it the wrong way- the last thing I wanted was to be associated with terrorists who killed people without mercy. Phantom was the worst of the lot, the leader, in a sense, the group named after him.

Rubbing my forehead, I tore my eyes away from the screen. Thankfully, no one was paying me any mind, one way or another. I just wanted this feeling to go away, this feeling of something missing, this feeling of wrongness, that something was wrong with the world. I worried sometimes that I was crazy, nobody else felt this way but me.

This feeling that there was something direly wrong with the world.

I couldn't talk to anyone about it. Nobody understood.

Wanting to take my mind off of it, I grabbed one of the magazines at random, and begin leafing through it. Groaning as I realized that I had grabbed an issue of a fashion trend magazine, I nevertheless forced myself to read it, not wanting anyone to think I was acting strangely.

Finally, the throb in my head died down, and I put the magazine back, glancing at the clock. A good deal of time had passed, I noted. Whenever it came to that person, my headaches were at their worst, sometimes lasting for hours. This time, thankfully, only half an hour had passed. Dimly, I wondered how the interviews were going, and hoped that I didn't appear frazzled.

Maybe I should have swallowed my pride and accepted Paulina's offer of a hand mirror after all, I thought glumly. Paulina Sanchez, my flighty, bouncy college roommate. It was almost as if some kind of cosmic joke, a goth and a preppy girl rooming together. I kept looking around to check for hidden cameras, wondering if we were part of some kind of reality television show sitcom.

I used to hate her during the early years of high school, although that hate had gradually started subsiding after freshman year. I didn't know why, it just felt as if there was a factor, a reason, as to why I had hated her so much that had simply vanished.

The door to Consus' office clicked open again, and I listened, thinking another name would be called. But no, rather, Consus called us all to attention, and I attempted to still my beating heart- this was it, I thought, glancing up at him. He was going to make a decision. Pushing all other thoughts out of my mind, I listened.

"You all are a very fine group of candidates for this internship." Consus began. "Sadly, there is only room for one of you." He told us, shaking his head as he did so. Already I could hear some of my rivals sucking in their breaths in apprehension. I did my best to look calm and collected, not giving away the knot of tension that was forming in my stomach.

"After careful thought and consideration, I have decided on Miss Samantha Manson for the position." He told us, and I had to fight back a fearsome urge to leap for joy. As it was, my eyes lit up, and I found myself rising to my feet, unprompted. "Welcome aboard, Miss Manson. I feel as if you'll be a valuable asset to the Bureau."

"Flattering words to hear, Mr. Rush, even if my job will only involve fetching coffee and filing papers." I couldn't help but quip, taking his offered hand, and giving it a shake. I ignored the groans behind me, and the rumblings that I had made it in due to family connections. I knew that I hadn't, and that was all that mattered.

"Ah, that is true, I can't deny that." Consus laughed, shaking his head. "But you have your foot in the door, Miss Manson. I look forward to seeing what it is that you can do." Removing his hand from my, he motioned to the receptionist, who nodded her head, grabbing a few things from behind her desk, and coming out from behind the counter. "If you take these to the main security outpost in the palace, they'll have you set up for your ID. You'll need it to skip all of the security checks. I'm sure you don't want to have to deal with those every morning."

"I'd rather not." I admitted, taking the papers from the receptionist, giving her a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Rush, for this opportunity. I don't think you'll regret it."

"I don't imagine I will." He said. "We'll get your schedule sorted out first thing tomorrow, Miss Manson, but until then, you take care of that ID. Do you know where to find the security office? It's very clearly marked when you go out from here, so I don't imagine you'll get lost."

"I think I can find it." I assured him. With that, he nodded his head, dismissing himself, and I took that as my cue to leave. Heading out of the side building, I glanced around, looking for the sign, and found one, indicating that the security outpost was down towards my right, further on in. Trying to look like I belonged there- which, technically I now did, I made my way towards it, following the signs.

The palace was rather large after all, and it did make me hope that I didn't get myself lost. How embarrassing would that be?

Scanning over the papers that I had been given, all fairly routine, one of which appeared to be a printout of my questionnaire, I barely heard as someone else rounded the corner. As it was, I was rather blindsided by this, and found myself smacking straight into them, letting out a small yelp as I did so, my papers scattering all about. With both fell rather unceremoniously on our rear ends, and I grumbled, hoping that I hadn't run into anyone important. Not a good way to make a first impression, I thought.

And then I looked at him.

Oh.

Oh dear.

"Prince!" I stammered, my eyes going wide as I looked at the young man before me, who was groaning a little. Neat, slicked back black hair, and blue eyes met mine, and he gave me a small smile. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going at all!"

"That's okay. I wasn't watching where I was going either. So we're even." He gave me a small smile, and for a strange reason, I felt my heart flutter. Oh no, I couldn't help but think. I was not turning into one of those ridiculous fangirls that hung on the prince's every word, even if Prince Daniel Masters was _remarkably _attractive.

And familiar.

But also wrong.

And it was that wrongness that helped me keep the flutter of my heart in check.

"I suppose that much is true." I said slowly, starting to gather up my fallen papers. "I still must apologize though. If I might ask though, what brings you out to this part of the palace?"

"Don't tell anyone, but I was planning on slipping out for a bit." He winked, lending me a hand. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" He asked, glancing down at the papers. "Samantha Manson?"

"Sam." I found myself saying. It seemed wrong that this person would call me anything else. "It's Sam. And yes, I'm new."

"Well, pleased to meet you, Sam." Daniel grinned at me, such a familiar expression, one that I could have sworn I knew. He stood up, offering me a helping hand which I took. His hands were cold, I noted, but not as cold as Consus' hands had been. Offering me the paper he had picked up, I took it from him. "Don't tell anyone that you saw me sneak out, okay? My father would be peeved if he knew I was leaving the castle and it would worry my mother."

Daniel's mother, the Empress, Madeline Fenton. She was blind from birth, I recalled, and the Emperor was always worried about her, and her weak health. She rarely left the palace, and never left her husband's side when she did.

Another thing that seemed wrong.

"I will keep my lips sealed." I promised. "But are you sure it's safe? You know, with Phantom and everything. Aren't they targeting your life too?"

"Trust me, if my own father doesn't know I'm gone, I'm pretty sure a bunch of nut job terrorists won't either." He promised me, and his words seemed reasonable. "Besides, I'm not as weak as I look."

I laughed a bit at that, smiling at him. "Well, I suppose I'll trust your judgement, then. It's not my place to tell a prince what he can and can't do, after all. But do be safe, it's my first day, so if you go and get your butt killed and I'm the last person to see you, I can't imagine I'll be going anywhere in the world."

"I will do my utmost best then." Daniel promised me, giving a sweeping bow. "Father isn't exactly going to let the heir to the throne die so easily, so you don't need to fret." He said. "But it's nice meeting you, Sam. I hope we can speak more in the future. I have to say, it's kind of nice to talk to a girl that's not fainting all over herself while trying to talk to me. It gets a bit old, you know?"

"Oh, I imagine." I nodded my head, recalling that Paulina's friend, Star, was one of those girls. Strangely, I thought, not Paulina, whose interests seemed to lie elsewhere, on a mysterious person that she deeply admired, whose picture she kept in her locket.

"Oh good." He laughed, grinning as he patted me on the shoulder. "Well then, Sam, I hope I can catch you later." He told me, and then he was off, hurrying down the corridor. I watched him go, feeling the strange feeling of familiarity linger after him.

And the sense of something wrong.

"Right." I said after a long moment. "Focus Manson. Let's get that ID made."

* * *

Getting the ID card made had taken longer than I thought, but I know had a fresh palace ID, worn around my neck. Every so often, I found myself catching a glimpse of it, and caught myself grinning rather dumbly because of it. Ugh, it wasn't really like me to feel so elated, but I couldn't help myself- I was able to get my foot in the door of my dream job, and only at nineteen. There were people out there who would kill for the chance that I had obtained.

And of course, meeting the prince was something of a nice bonus. He seemed to be just like he presented himself in public, and I felt as if I could understand why so many girls my age would be falling head over heels for him. At nineteen, he was the same age as I, and so many teenage girls and young adults were always flocking the palace grounds, hoping to catch a glimpse of him- or better yet, to catch his eye.

Maybe I could gloat about meeting the prince to Star the next time she tried to start something up with me. I knew that jealousy would very quickly shut the girl down.

That said, now that dealing with my future was out of the way for the day, I had more mundane aspects of my life to accomplish. Namely, cashing the check my grandmother had sent me for my birthday. The bank branch was rather crowded for a Monday afternoon, and I groaned a little as I realized that I would have to stand in line, hearing my stomach growl in protest. I should have grabbed that late lunch after all, I thought.

Oh well, there would still be time for that later.

Sighing, I took my place in line, standing behind an elderly woman and her caretaker. The old woman was hunched over on a cane, and her caretaker, a much younger woman, carefully held her arm, guiding her slowly along as the line moved. She glanced back at me once, apologizing for the time it took them, but I shook my head, telling her not to worry about it. It couldn't be helped, when one got to her charge's age, that they would move slow. My own grandmother was the same way, and I knew frustration over this was why she rode her motorized scooter everywhere.

Glancing towards the line next to me, I noticed in mild disgust that the young man standing across from me- a fifteen year old, from the looks of it, was deeply engrossed in his PDA, having to be goaded on my the person behind him every time the line moved. His fingers flew over the tiny thing, barley paying attention to the world around him, and I couldn't help but wonder if he would even put the damn thing down when it came to be his turn.

Still, as long as the lines were, they were moving rather quick, and soon enough, the old lady in front of me was up. I frowned a little, as she seemed to be having a bit of trouble, her caretaker expressing audible confusion as to how the woman at the desk couldn't find the woman's account. The bank teller seemed to be flustered herself, apologizing, wondering if there were some kind of computer error.

And then all hell broke lose.

The young man in the line across from me finally came up to the teller's window, after having to be prompted by the very annoyed person behind him once more. He ignored the teller as she asked him what it was that he wanted, and ignored her again when she told him to put away the PDA. Just as her patience was about to wear thin, the young teen grinned, and finally looked at her.

"Oh, yeah, I'd like to make a withdrawal." He said.

"Alright. May I see some ID, and for how much?" She asked.

"Yeah, here's my ID." The teenager said, before pressing a button on his PDA and pulling a gun from his bag, pointing it at the teller's head. All at once, the security shutters went down, slamming firmly behind Sam.

"And that would be for all the cash I can carry." The teenager grinned, before the image around him fizzled and popped, leaving a completely different person in his place. It was one I knew, and from the throbbing in my head, I suddenly realized I should have gone to eat that late lunch after all.

Tucker Foley.

Behind him, the person who kept nudging him to move forward looked as if their heart was going to burst out of their chest, but my own attention was drawn in front of me, as the old lady suddenly dropped her cane, standing up straight, and pulled a pistol on the teller as well. Her caretaker, in turn, pulled out two of her own, and sure enough, the image around them crackled, leaving Valerie Gray and Jazz Fenton in their place.

"You got control, Tuck?" Jazz asked, glancing over at her counterpart, training her pistols on the security guards who had hustled forth, shaking her head at them.

"I've got control. All the systems are now mine." Tucker told her, with a grin, and then spoke into the earpiece that he wore. "You're all clear, Danny, Dani."

There was a scream that drew my attention away from Tucker, and the familiar pull the name 'Danny' gave me. From the pounding in my heart though, I just knew that the throbbing in my head was now going to get even worse- because I knew exactly who must have just arrived.

And there, manifesting in the middle of the bank, easily disabling the security guards, were the last two known members of Phantom. Specter appeared in a flash of white light, her glowing form unable to be mistaken for anyone else. She grinned, cracking the gun the security guard held in half, before tossing it's scattered remains on the ground, and letting a burst of green power flare to life in her hand.

And then Phantom appeared, and I could feel my entire world _lurch._

A strange, swirling green portal.

Doodles in a notebook, a circle around a logo that was emblazoned on the black hoodies Phantom and Specter now wore.

_"Aren't you the least bit curious?"_

Who had I said those words to?

No matter how hard I struggled against the throbbing in my head, I couldn't recall. A faint, fuzzy image, two boys. But I couldn't recall what they looked liked, I couldn't recall their voices. Who were they? Friends? But I'd never made any, right? I certainly couldn't have forgotten any friends so easily.

Phantom.

I found my eyes falling on him, fixed, almost entranced by him as he manifested himself, appearing as if from nowhere. As Specter had, he incapacitated the security guard, knocking him out and crushing his gun. The same green energy flickered to life in his hand, which he tossed up and down as if it were a ball. His eyes blazed green under the shadow of his hood, but for a moment, I could feel them locking with mine.

I knew this person.

But something was wrong.

"Alright, everyone down on the ground, nobody move, you know the drill! Nobody does anything stupid, nobody gets hurt." Valerie called out, and everyone moved to comply, myself included. "Miss teller, if you would be so kind as to get someone to gather together some cash for us?" She asked, locking eyes with her. Meekly, the woman complied.

"Silent alarm won't work, I made sure to cut that off." Tucker noted, smiling at the teller in front of him. "By the way, you're awfully cute- any chance you're doing something this Saturday?"

"Tucker, don't hit on the bank teller." Jazz rolled her eyes. "Dani, round up their wallets and cell phones."

"Okay~!" I could hear the young teenager say, as she unfurled the sack that she carried. "Sorry about this everyone, but supplies are awfully pricey, and there's really only one way to get cash when you're living on the other side of the law." She said, floating over towards the nearest line.

"You." I blinked, glancing up, finding Jazz's eyes meeting me. Strangely, they were gentle. "Stand up. You're going to come with us." She said.

"I'm going to be a hostage?" I asked, getting to my feet, heart beating apprehensively. I knew this girl, didn't I? The pounding in my head got heavier, as if my brain were at war with itself.

"Yes." Jazz said simply. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you." She promised, and for some reason, I believed her. She struck me as the kind of person who didn't lie, or at least, didn't lie well- or rather, it seemed as if I already knew this.

"I don't suppose I have much choice in the matter anyways." I grumbled, watching as Specter went down the line of bank customers, collecting wallets and cell phones. Elsewhere, I noticed that Valerie and the bank teller had emerged, and that the infamous Red Hunter was now carrying a rather full sack slung over her shoulder.

"Alright, that's a haul, guys, we've got some of Plasmius' personal patrol coming around. We'll meet up at base. You know the plan." Tucker called out, before grinning as he approached me, quickly and neatly tying my wrists up behind me, speaking in a whisper. "Sorry about this, Sam, that's not too tight is it?"

"It's fine." I said, then blinked, a chill running up my spine. How did he know my name? "You- how?"

"The world feels wrong, doesn't it?" Tucker merely whispered, and judging from the smirk that appeared on his face when my eyes widened a little, he knew that he was right on the mark. "Don't worry about it Sam. We'll have your memories all sorted out in a bit. I'm just sorry it took so long. Also, I'm _really _sorry about this next part. Please don't hurt me later."

"My-?" I began to ask, before an electric current ran through my body, and everything went dark.

The world was wrong.

I had a feeling I would soon remember why.

* * *

"Tucker, I think you gave her too big of a charge." Jazz Fenton glared at the younger man. "She's out like a light. I thought you said this thing of yours was safe for use. If you hurt her, you're going to be in big trouble, buster."

"Relax, Jazz." Tucker Foley, rolled his eyes. "She'll be fine. Her memories are probably just sorting themselves out as we speak. Of course it's going to take longer on a real person." He assured her, taking a seat. "Where's Danny, anyways? He didn't want to be around for the big reunion? Sam would be so happy to see him. Assurances that the bastard hanging around Plasmius isn't him, after all."

"No." Jazz sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Tucker. I asked him about Sam and everything, but all he could say was that he didn't remember her at all." Taking a seat herself, the young woman stretched her feet out in front of her. "I don't know what to do Tucker. It's been five years, and we haven't gotten one bit closer to restoring his memories. I don't... I don't like seeing him like that, and I know it hurts dad the most."

"We'll figure something out." Tucker promised her, giving her a small smile. "Look, I was able to build something that nullifies Plasmius' brainwashing system permanently, so surely Mr. Fenton and I can figure out something that will help Danny with his memory loss. And he's better than he was before, right? I mean, he's less aggressive with us. Less you know... ghostly."

"He's right." Valerie said as she entered, closing the door behind her. "At the very least he doesn't think I'm after his hide anymore. How's Sleeping Beauty?" She asked, grabbing a chair and taking a seat.

"I think Tucker used too strong of a charge." Jazz insisted again.

"Like I said, she's _fine_." Tucker frowned, glowering at the redhead. "Sam's my best friend, I wouldn't hurt her more than I absolutely _had _to. We did what we had to do to get her back. Like hell I was going to leave my best friend in the world under the brainwashing of some maniac. I'm sure she'll understand when she comes to."

"It must have been rough for you two, keeping tabs on her all this time." Valerie noted. "To be honest, I would have pegged you for the type to go and get yourself brainwashed, Tucker."

"Yeah well, I was in the right place at the right time." Tucker said. "I just wish I had insisted Sam come with me too, and then we could have avoided all of this." There was a long pause then. "How do you think we should break the news about Danny? You know, about him not remembering anything?"

"The problem is more like what he _does _manage to remember." Valerie grumbled. She blinked then, her attention caught by Sam's prone figure. "Did you hear that?" She said, hushing her voice. "I think she's coming to. You sure that device of yours worked Tuck? Because otherwise she might be in hysterics."

"Sam doesn't do hysterics, Val." Tucker shot back.

"Ugh." Sam grumbled, a hand reaching up to her forehead, a dull throbbing in her head. "Did anyone catch the number of that bus?" She quipped, pulling herself to her feet. She frowned, peering at the trio in front of her, as if she were trying to place them- and then shot straight up, her eyes going wide.

"You have _got _to be kidding me."

"How's it feel to be free of a five year old brainwashing, Sam?" Tucker asked, grinning at her in spite of himself. "See, I told you it would work. And they thought I gave you too much charge."

"_Five years?_" Sam hissed, staring at her friend- yes, this was her friend! How the hell had she even let herself forget this incorrigible bastard anyways?

No, she had never forgotten- deep down she had _always _remembered. That's why she had so much trouble, why she had all of those headaches. She had always been fighting against it, against whatever Vlad had done to her, to the whole world, to make them think that he had always ruled it, to make them think that he was married to Mrs. Fenton, to make them think that Danny-

"Wait." Sam said slowly. "Danny? What about Danny?" She asked. "He's not with Vlad, is he? But then there's the one with you guys and... who the hell is _Danielle_?"

"You might want to sit back down, Sam." Jazz spoke up, giving her a gentle smile. "You've got a lot of catching up to do."


	2. The Truth Beyond the Veil

Author's Note: After much delay and various distractions, chapter two is here! Now we get the truth of things, and explanations are presented. As you might guess from this chapter and the one before this, the story splits off at _Kindred Spirits_, for those of you who are curious.

As always, thanks to those of you who read and reviewed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much! Danny Phantom does not belong to me.

* * *

Spectral Revolution

Chapter Two: The Truth Behind the Veil

* * *

"You might want to sit back down, Sam." Jazz spoke up, giving her a gentle smile. "You've got a lot of catching up to do."

"I think that just might be a good idea." Sam said after a moment, taking a seat back down on the bed she had been resting on. She still felt a strange tingle in the back of her mind, and didn't know if it was the last vestiges of the brainwashing that she had been under for the past five years, or if was just an aftermath from the electric shock Tucker had given her. "Just- give everything to me straight guys. I can't believe that I've been out of the loop for _five years!_"

"Don't take it too hard, Sam." Tucker told her. "Pretty much everyone is under Vlad's sway these days. His brainwashing is pretty strong. Mr. Fenton thinks he's using some kind of ghost artifact to do it, similar to the Reality Gauntlet in a way, but we don't really know what exactly. Which was why it took so long to invent something to counteract it. Thankfully, the path became a bit clearer after Valerie joined us." He said, glancing over towards the girl.

"Hey, Val." Sam raised a hand. "Nice buzz cut." She commented. "I take it that you've learned about certain things."

"That's one way of putting it." Valerie frowned a little, this clearly was still something of a sore subject for her. "But well, I guess I'm better off than you, Manson. How's it feel to know that the last five years of your life were a total lie?"

"Terrible, thanks for asking." Sam quipped, rolling her eyes. "I didn't exactly ask to be brainwashed. I didn't even know I was brainwashed." She paused then, frowning a little. "No, I think a little bit, I did. I always understood that something was a little wrong with the world. But I just could never tell what. Whenever I saw you guys on wanted posters or in news reels I always felt as if I was getting close to remembering something- and then the headaches would always chase them away."

"That's how it seems to work, yeah." Tucker shrugged his shoulders. "Most people don't notice the way you do Sam, just people who were close to the core of the secret." He told her. "You shouldn't feel too bad about it- if anything you should be proud of yourself, because apparently you were trying to fight in your own way this entire time. That's nothing to sneeze at, Sam."

"I guess you're right." She said, rubbing her forehead. "Still, I've got to know what's been going on Tucker. Why is Danny with Vlad all of a sudden? I think I can figure out why Mrs. Fenton thinks she's married to him, but Danny? And then... there's another Danny with you guys, isn't there?" She asked. "And don't even get me started on Danielle. Who the heck is Danielle, and why does she look so much like Danny?"

"All excellent questions." Tucker said. "Dani's probably the easiest place to start, to be honest. She's a clone of Danny, sort of. Not entirely, seeing as she's a girl and younger, but she was made from mostly the same DNA as him. Vlad made her in an attempt to make what you now know as the royal Prince. Which, although he looks like Danny, isn't Danny by the way. That's a clone too."

"Vlad _cloned _Danny?" Sam asked, looking at Tucker in disbelief. "Okay, putting aside how creepy that is, why?"

"He wanted a son." Jazz was the one who answered. "And since he couldn't get our Danny, he just decided to make one of his own." She told her, although from the look on her face, Sam could tell that she was no less creeped out by this than she was. "He sent Dani out at first, to Amity Park, and other failed clones with her, in an attempt to capture Danny, so he could get a sample of his mid-morph DNA. He needed it to stabilize the only clone he actually cared about."

"And then Dani later turned on Vlad when she realized he didn't care about her at all, and was just going to let her die by dissolving in a pile of ectoplasmic goo." Tucker added. "Dani wasn't stable at first, so she wasn't perfect, which was what Vlad wanted- and what he got, sadly. Dani tried to stop him, but in the end the clone was completed, and Vlad decided he was going to eliminate both Danny and Dani."

"He failed." Valerie finished. "Although he didn't know it at first, or so I'm told. Dani escaped with Danny, and they fled to the Ghost Zone while Danny recovered from his injuries, and Dani regained enough strength to risk using her ghost powers again." She snorted a little then, shaking her head. "Half-ghosts. I _still _can't believe it. Why didn't he ever just _say _something to me? Then maybe we could have avoided this mess entirely."

"Gee, I don't know Val, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you kept trying to destroy him?" Sam asked, quirking a brow, which quickly shut her up. "Go on, Tucker. It still feels like there's stuff you aren't telling me."

"Yeah, you're probably not going to want to hear it, to be honest." Tucker cringed. "But you do need to know about it anyways. The good news is, that Danny lived. He got a bit mixed up from Vlad trying to sample his mid-morph DNA, and he can't really go ghost anymore. On the other hand, more of his ghost half has leaked into his human self anyways, so there's not all that much of a difference, save for a few things. He can't fly anymore, for one thing."

"Tucker, we both know that's not the really important part that Sam needs to know about." Jazz said, heaving a sigh as she turned towards Sam. "You see Sam, the thing about Danny is-"

She was cut off, however, by the door to the room they were staying in opening up, and the very same person they were talking about entered. He quickly took note of Sam being conscious, but instead of looking happy to have an old friend reunited with him, his gaze simply passed right over her, turning towards Tucker. "Oh, she woke up? Did your whatever do it's trick?" He asked him, all but seeming to ignore Sam.

"Danny?" Sam began, getting to her feet, confusion apparent in her eyes. He had just looked at her as if she were a total stranger.

"_Phantom_." Danny almost seemed to hiss, blazing green eyes locking with hers, a strange ferociousness in them that she had never really seen before. Although she knew it at her core, that this was her friend, that this was the real Danny Fenton, at the same time he seemed- different, changed. "Don't call me that."

"Yeah, he doesn't like to be called that much anymore." Tucker chimed in. "Phantom, ease up. She doesn't know anything, she's been under Vlad's brainwashing for the past five years. We hadn't even finished explaining everything when you came in."

"Hm." Danny tore his gaze away from Sam, his lips in a tight frown. The hood of his hoodie was still up, shadowing his face somewhat, and it almost made Sam's heart lurch, for reasons she couldn't quite understand yet. She had assumed he had been wearing it to conceal his resemblance to the prince, the fake him, but somehow she was now underneath the impression that the real reason for it was somewhat different from that. "Well, fine." He said, pulling up a chair and sitting in it backwards, glancing back towards Tucker. "You can finish."

"We were about to talk about you." Jazz said meekly, frowning. "Are you sure you want to be here for this, little brother?"

"Don't care." Danny grumbled, clearly not liked how he was being addressed.

"Well, alright." Jazz frowned, before turning back towards Sam, giving her a gentle look, sensing the worry and confusion that the girl possessed. "I'm sorry Sam, he doesn't mean it. Normally he's less grumpy. It's probably just because you're a new element to our group... at least to him, you are."

Sam paled a little, dots appearing in her mind, but refusing to be connected right away. "Jazz, you aren't saying that..."

"Danny doesn't really remember anything." Tucker was the one who answered, as it seemed to trouble Jazz to say it. "And what he does remember is mostly snippets from his Phantom form. Whatever Vlad did to get a sample of his mid-morph DNA, it must have been incredibly traumatic. Or perhaps it was the nearly killed part that did it, it's really unclear. The point is, Danny doesn't remember a whole lot of stuff from before Vlad tried to clone him. He... doesn't even remember you or me." He said after a moment, looking away from her.

It was like the air rushed out of her all at once, her violet eyes going wide, as they flew back over towards Danny. He yawned, apparently disinterested by this news, almost as if it seemed to have no real impact on him despite being about him. He did catch Sam's gaze on him, however, and his green eyes flickered a little, frowning at her.

"_What_?" He hissed. "Like he said, I don't have any idea who you are, just what they tell me. Pam or something?"

"Sam." Valerie interjected. "Her name is Sam. You could at least try and remember the names of your own childhood friends."

Danny simply shrugged, looking indifferent to this information. "She's not my friend. She's just some girl you tell me is my friend. The only reason I believe _any _of you is because Dani says you're not lying. And the only reason I work with you is because she wants to, and because you're _against _Plasmius. I'm not really interested in friendship and all that."

"Danny!" Jazz got to her feet, practically fuming, forgetting that he didn't like being called that. "Come on, you could at least try to be nice." She told him. "We _are _your friends, and I'm your _family_, even. You don't need to be so aggressive to everyone. I wanted to give Sam a warm welcome. She probably missed you terribly!"

"She couldn't miss anyone, because she was brainwashed like some kind of idiot." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Oh you _did not _just call me an idiot." Sam stood up, glowering at Danny, her heckles clearly raised. "Amnesia or no amnesia, I'm not going to let you talk to me like that Danny." She said, placing her hands on her hips. "It's not exactly like I asked to be brainwashed. I had no idea what was going on at the time. You were missing, and Tucker and I were in a panic," she began, her missing memories of the time shortly before her own mind had been warped coming back to her, "and we split up to look for you. I took Amity Park, and Tucker took the Ghost Zone. We were worried sick about you!"

"So I'm told." Danny stood up, raising himself to his full height. It momentarily took Sam aback, he had really sprouted up in the past five years. He must have been over six feet by now. "But like I said, it's _Phantom_. I'm sticking with the memories I actually _do _have here. For all I know this whole thing could be some kind of grand scheme that you've all concocted and have dragged Dani into to use us as your little weapons against Plasmius. And I'm fine with that, I'm more than happy to wipe the floor with that little shitstain, but I don't trust any of you."

"Phantom, come on." Tucker said, looking over at him. "I promise you, we're not lying to you. Don't you think we would have slipped up a little over five years if that were the case? Besides, how else do you explain being half-human?"

"Hell if I know." Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't put it past that old man to do something to try and restrain me." He frowned, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I don't remember this body you keep telling me is supposed to be mine in the first place. Half-ghost? Dani and Plasmius maybe, but that's not what I remember. And unless you have some seriously convincing evidence, it's going to stay that way. I'm going to help you guys overthrow Plasmius, wipe that smirking little imposter of me off the map, and then that's it, I'm through here. I don't intend to be friends."

With that, he cast one last glare towards Sam, before he headed out the door, simply phasing through it as opposed to actually opening it up.

There was an awkward silence that hung in the room then, which was finally broken by Jazz heaving a sigh, slumping back down in her chair. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I wish I had gotten a chance to warn you before he came in. He really doesn't remember anything at all." She told him, pain apparent on her expression. This was her baby brother, and it hurt her to see him this way. "He'll calm down around you in a little while, probably, but he is always sort of grumpy and aloof these days."

"The only thing he's able to remember is that he was a ghost named Phantom, and that he lived in Amity Park. He just recalls his parents as being random hunters, and the same with Valerie." Tucker told her, rubbing his forehead. "I've tried, time and time again, to find a way with Mr. Fenton to trigger his lost memories, but there's just nothing we can do about it. It's a miracle that the other thing he remembers is how much he really hates Plasmius, otherwise I'm not even sure he would be working with us."

"You have got to be kidding me." Sam slumped down on the bed, her head thudding against the wall as she did so. "I thought that I would finally be able to talk to Danny again, and he doesn't even remember me? Amnesia hasn't exactly done his personality any favors."

"Can't argue with that." Valerie snorted. "The first thing he tried to do when he realized I was the Red Hunter was to shoot first and ask questions never. Although," She frowned a little. "I suppose turnabout is fair play."

"Dad takes it the hardest." Jazz said after a moment. "Ever since he lost his memories, Danny's connection to his human form has grown... weak. He's more aggressive, more ghostlike, as much as I hate to say it. He can be reasoned with, and he's not entirely without human emotion, but..." she frowned, shaking her head. "It's just not the same."

"It's a bit much to take in all at once." Sam frowned, rubbing her forehead. She really hoped that the Danny that she knew wasn't lost and gone forever. It was strange- the fake Danny she had met at the palace today was more like the one in her memories, but she knew, knew with every fiber of her being, that this wasn't the one she had grown up with. After all, she was in love with him- or at least, she was in love with the Danny from her memories.

She didn't know about the current Danny, however.

"I don't blame you, Sam." Tucker told her, getting to his feet. "It was a bit much for me as well. I came out of the Ghost Zone after being unable to find Danny there to find an Amity Park that was exactly the same, but entirely different from the one I left behind." He frowned a little. "My own parents don't remember me anymore. I tried to go home, and they started asking me questions like if I was lost, or if I was feeling alright in the head, because they had never been able to have a son."

"Oh Tucker." Sam looked up at him, her eyes going wide. "I'm so _sorry_."

"It's okay." Tucker gave her a small smile. "Once everything gets all sorted out with Vlad, they'll remember me. I don't want to get them dragged into this, though. They're safer if they're under Vlad's brainwashing. Which is why we're going to offer you a choice here Sam- you can either join us, and do what is going to quite possibly be one of the most dangerous jobs any of us has ever undertaken. Or you can go back to the life you were leading, and I can remove what's blocking Vlad's brainwashing from you. I don't want to put you in harm's way if you don't want to be in it."

Sam snorted at that, rolling her eyes. "Are you kidding me? As if I would ever run away from a little danger. That's not exactly like me." She told him. "Oh no, I'm joining this fight, in any way that I can. Vlad's going to seriously pay for what he not only did to my head, but what he did to Danny's- not to mention for trying to _kill him_."

"That's what I thought you would say." Tucker grinned. "Sam, we're going to need to use you and that cushy little internship you gained for yourself to infiltrate Vlad's palace. And I know you aren't going to like this second part, but we really could use you getting close to Daniel Masters."

"Are you kidding me?" Sam cringed. "I'm fine with the first part, but I don't know if I can handle playing nice around Danny's clone." She confessed. "Besides, I got taken hostage by you guys. Vlad's smart, he knows that you'll try and free me from brainwashing, so he's probably already altered everyone's memory of me already. There's no way I'm getting within ten feet of the palace, much less anywhere near his stupid clone."

"Ah, but we've already thought ahead about that." Jazz grinned. "Think about it for a second Sam. We know about your internship. We've been keeping tabs on you for the past couple of weeks, waiting for the opportune moment to bring you back to us." She told her. "And Vlad's been keeping a close eye on you as well, as one of the people that Danny used to be in constant contact with. That's why that internship opened up, and that's why you got accepted, so he could have you closer to him in a way that wouldn't arose your suspicion. It's the same reason he blinded mom, and never lets her out of the palace, because he knows his hold on her is weak at best."

"Still, that just gives him all the reason more to know that you've taken me hostage." Sam pointed out.

"Not if you're not the only mole we've got." Tucker said with a grin. "We altered real time security footage of the bank. Sam Manson went into the bank, to be sure, but she left after the hostage situation without Team Phantom seeing her, that's what will show on the cameras- and people's memories will adapt to that. That's one thing about Vlad's mass brainwashing that backfires on him, so we use it to our advantage as best that we can. And sure, we took some girl hostage, but it was just some girl. I slapped an image inducer on you before we left, and took it off once we got back. Vlad hasn't been able to penetrate them yet, they're handy to have around."

"My own design, of course." Tucker smirked, looking proud of himself. "Meanwhile, your double was wearing another one, and was hanging around the back of the bank. You probably didn't even notice her because you were too distracted glaring at me being rude. She's even covering for you at your dorm room, where by the way, you're being monitored by Vlad twenty four seven, so you might want to watch what you say and do while you're there."

"So who, exactly, is this mole you guys have?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow. "And why can't she get all close and mushy to the prince?" She paused then, a look of horror dawning across her face, as gears clicked in her head. Covering for her in her... "You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope." Tucker shook his head. "Our mole in the outside world is Paulina. Who better to tell us about the rumors flying around and current events than the queen of gossip herself?"

"But it's _Paulina."_ Sam hissed. "She can't keep a secret to save her life."

"That's true." Valerie snorted. "Which is why even she doesn't know she's a mole." She told her. "Tucker wanted to do a trail run on his little nanobots, which are what you have crawling around in your head right now, keeping Vlad's brainwashing from working. So we turned Paulina into a sleeper mole. Tucker controls her nanobots from a central computer here. Until he turns them off, she probably thinks that she's _you_."

"That's... unethical." Sam said, looking immensely weirded out by the idea that Paulina Sanchez had been wandering around for a few hours, wearing her form and for all the world thinking that she was the real Sam Manson. She paled a little, her own hand flying up to the back of her neck, where she had felt the first shock. "So wait, you put those things in me?"

"Relax." Tucker shrugged his shoulders. "We all have them in us, even Mr. Fenton. We don't need them to block out the brainwashing waves that Vlad's sending out, because we didn't get the initial dose, but they'll keep us from ever having our memories directly altered by him. And I'm not controlling ours from some central computer. As for being unethical, well, in case you missed it Sam, we're _terrorists _now."

That was right.

They were.

"What exactly does that entail, Tucker?" Sam asked after a moment. She knew what the news programs said, she knew about the body counts, the explosions, the acts of terror... and they had just robbed a bank.

"It's not like what you think." Tucker was quick to assure her. "Vlad's brainwashing on humans has it's flaws, because he's using a ghost artifact. But on ghosts... it's pretty absolute. Danny and Dani are immune due to being half ghost." He began to explain. "Which means in order to ensure the stability of his regime, he has ghosts living among humans, acting like them, and he's brainwashed the humans to accept the ghosts as people. We've been trying to go after all of Vlad's high officials- which are always ghosts, by the way, and capture them, so he can't rely on them. If anyone's gotten killed in anything that we've done, it's an unfortunate casualty, but we try to avoid them."

"But sometimes people do die?" Sam asked him directly.

Tucker didn't flinch from her gaze. "Yeah." He said after a moment. "Sometimes they do. We try everything in our power not to harm innocent humans, but sometimes we're not able to do that." He frowned deeply. "That's why I asked you. I can't assure you that you won't come out of this without any blood on your hands. I don't think the world's going to entirely forgive us when everything goes back to normal. Chances are none of us are going to have normal lives to return to."

"So I'll ask one more time, Sam. Are you sure you want to get involved with us?" Tucker asked her. "I had to make the same choice too. We all did. We could either turn ourselves into Vlad to be brainwashed and just happily, and obliviously accept everything. Or we could fight. And I chose to fight."

"If you can choose to fight Tucker, then so can I." Sam said after a moment. "Besides, if I'm inside of the palace, I can find out what Vlad is using to brainwash everyone into thinking he's always been their ruler, and I can destroy it. Then everyone will wake up and remember what's going on, and we can send Vlad exactly where he needs to go, and all this can be done with. It sounds like a much safer plan than gradually taking out those under Vlad's command."

"Can't argue with that." Jazz spoke up, smiling at Sam, walking over to her and putting her hand on her shoulder. "Come on then, Sam, we've got a lot of work to do to really catch you up to speed and get you ready for your mission. As much as I would love to catch up with you some more, and I'm sure Tucker feels the same way, we don't have that much time to waste. It's better to be safe than sorry with Vlad, after all."

Sam nodded her head, getting to her feet. She wanted to stay too, to chat with Tucker and Jazz, to see what this Danielle was like- although she had been created by Vlad, she had saved Danny's life, so she couldn't possibly be that bad. "Right." She said, smiling at Jazz. "Hopefully there will be plenty of time for all of that in the future. We can only press forward now."

"That's the spirit!" Tucker grinned. "That's the Sam Manson I knew. Glad to have you back."

"Glad to be back, trust me." Sam rolled her eyes. She blinked, then realizing something. "I'm honestly surprised that Vlad let Mr. Fenton live though. Wasn't his thing all about trying to kill him, just as much as it was about getting Mrs. Fenton?"

"Well, you see, that's the thing." Tucker said, a small grin on his face. "Vlad doesn't know Mr. Fenton's alive. He's a well kept secret. In this war, we have to use all the advantages that we can get our hands on, and if one of those is the element of surprise, then we'll take it."

"I'm just surprised that he's not all rearing to get into the action." Sam noted. The Jack Fenton she knew would jump right into the thick of things, often without thinking anything through. Maybe he just didn't want to get directly involved because he was so shell shocked by the truth about Vlad and what had happened to his son. She wondered how he felt about this Danielle, as well, but knowing Mr. Fenton, he would likely embrace her with open arms. That was the kind of person he was, after all.

"He'd like to." Jazz said quietly, her eyes downcast. "But Vlad did a number on him. He's been paralyzed from the waist down since then." She told her, then let out a small chuckle. "Well, he's taking it pretty well though. He says it gives him an excuse to 'build a really cool, tricked out wheelchair' or something."

"Oh." Sam winced a little. There were a lot of things that she didn't know, and she wasn't sure how she felt about this. "That's too bad. I'm sorry, Jazz, this must all be very hard on you as well." She told her.

"It is." She said after a moment. "On one hand, I gained a new little sister, and that's great. Dani's a wonderful girl, I think you'll like her when you meet her. But on the other hand... my mom's in the hands of some creep, my dad can't move around like he always used to, and my brother..." She frowned. "He's here and all, but it's like I've lost him anyways. Sometimes it's all I can do to just take one day at a time and put my best foot forward. But I can't give up, because if I do, who's going to stop Vlad?"

"That's true." Sam nodded her head, putting on her own best smile. "Alright then. Catch me up to speed."

* * *

It was nearing evening when Sam made it back to her room, and much to her chagrin, she had been forced by Tucker to take an image inducer and use it to cast Paulina's image over herself. After all, he had said, it wouldn't do for two Sam Mansons to come back into the room. He said he would be able to hack into the surveillance cameras in their dorm room long enough for her to make the switch, and to remove Paulina's image inducer, but no longer than that- Vlad's security network around people he deemed of risk was pretty ironclad.

It sort of disturbed her, knowing that her every move was being watched. She was going to have a few choice words with Vlad the first chance she got, and by words, of course, she meant her fists.

Once that was over and done with, Sam slumped down in her bed, exhausted beyond measure. And why wouldn't she be? She had what she thought had been the truth of the world ripped out form under her, and had several unpleasant truths thrust upon her all in one day. Honestly, she just wanted to collapse and go to sleep right then and there, but she needed to spend some time mulling over exactly what she had learned. It was almost a little too much to believe, all of it, and there was some tiny, niggling part of her that was still trying to convince her that she was still in some sort of strange dream, and that meeting with the terrorists and turning out to have known them all along was a lie.

But she knew it wasn't. She wasn't going to be fooled again.

Sitting up, Sam rubbed her forehead, watching in mild amusement as Paulina seemed to briefly wonder how she had gotten back to their dorm room, a thought which quickly faded from her mind. She still didn't like the idea of using someone as an unwitting mole- it seemed wrong to her. But they didn't have a whole lot of options in this fight, Tucker was right about that.

She didn't like it though, and she didn't have to. If it was in her power to make the revolution more bloodless, then she would- even if it meant having to turn on the charm to someone she wasn't in love with, even if he _did _wear the face of the person that she loved.

"So, how did your interview or whatever go?" Paulina inquired, clearly returning entirely back to herself, casting a slight glance back towards Sam.

"Why Paulina, I didn't even know that you cared." Sam commented dryly. Ah yes, her daily back and forth with Paulina, this was something that she could get behind. "For your information, it went well, very well. As you can see." She said, holding up her palace ID, a wonder that it hadn't been lost in the scuffle.

"So what's the palace like then?" Paulina asked. "Papa visits sometimes on business, but I've never had a chance to be inside it before. Or did you only just see all of the boring parts?"

"Administrative offices mostly." Sam shrugged her shoulders, before a sly grin crossed her face. "Oh, but I did meet someone who might interest you Paulina- or rather, your good friend Star."

Paulina snorted, clearly able to tell what Sam was trying to get at, and just rolled her eyes. "Oh, you did not meet the prince. Nice try, honey, but I wasn't born yesterday."

"Oh yes I did." Sam grinned at her, leaning back against the wall, crossing her arms in front of her. "He even said that he would like to speak to me more in the future. Apparently, he likes a girl who doesn't fawn all over him, so you can tell your little friend that she's out of luck."

"I didn't even know you were interested in him." Paulina noted, seeming to be slightly more willing to believe her than she let on. After all, Sam didn't exactly have a history of lying just to make Paulina jealous- that was more of her thing.

"I wasn't." Sam shook her head. "I didn't think he was my type, really. Not interested in all that princely business." She said, shrugging her shoulders. She still wasn't interested in him- in fact she downright detested him for wearing her best friend's face so easily. But if there were cameras watching her, she might as well put on her best act for them. "But as it turns out, he's rather nice, and isn't all that interested in all that prince crap himself. Maybe he's not so bad. I'm not saying I'd like him like Star does or anything, but I wouldn't object to spending more time with him."

"Yeah, well, once he learns you're a goth freak, you can kiss your shot at royalty goodbye, Manson." Paulina smirked. "Nobody in their right mind would ever be interested in _you_. You don't even have any _friends_."

Sam opened her mouth, about ready to snap that she had plenty of friends, until she quickly recalled that thanks to the alternate history that Vlad had written for her, that she in fact did not. "Well, we'll just see about that, Paulina." She settled for saying, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that any relationships I get in will be much more fulfilling than yours."

"Did you just call my relationships _shallow_?" Paulina hissed, glowering at her.

"Well, I sure didn't call them _deep_." Sam said, smirking a little. "I call it like I see it, Paulina."

"You know what Manson, I don't have time to deal with you." Paulina huffed, grabbing her purse. "I'm going out. Don't wait up for me, because I'm going to be out all night." She told her, turning on her heel and stomping out, slamming the door shut behind her.

"I've never waited up for you in the first place!" Sam called out behind her. Well, that helped blow off some steam at least, she thought, as she got up from her bed and sat down at her desk. She plucked her new palace ID card from around her neck, turning it over in her hands, wondering why she had ever been so thrilled to get this thing, or to get the internship. From the sounds of it, it seemed as if it had been rigged for her in the first place, which was more than a little annoying.

But at least it gave her an in.

And she would do whatever she could to put an end to all of this, and to return life as she knew it back to being as normal as she possibly could. She didn't know if defeating Vlad would help Danny's memory any- and she had the sinking feeling that it wouldn't. And if it had been five years since he had lost it in the first place, and hadn't regained even a bit of it, Sam was deeply worried that her friend's memory was gone for good, and that she would never be able to meet the Danny of her memories ever again.

He would be like that forever, she thought.

She didn't know if she could take it. That, more than anything else, was what made her almost want to reject Tucker's offer, and to go back to her brainwashed 'normal' life. But she knew that she couldn't- she was still Danny's best friend, even if he didn't remember her, even if he didn't think of them as friends anymore. She had to be there for him- this must be all very confusing for him.

She tried to put herself in his shoes, and she failed. She couldn't do it.

He'd woken up with barely any memories, in a body that was unfamiliar to him, and was told that he was only half ghost, instead of all ghost, like he seemed to vaguely recall. He was told that two of his worst enemies, ones that he vaguely remembered, were his parents, and he was told everything that he thought he remembered about himself was incorrect. And he wasn't like her, she thought, Tucker could just go in and fix him. This wasn't brainwashing, this was just amnesia, pure memory loss.

She didn't know if they could fix him.

She didn't know if it would have made a difference, in the long run, if she had been with Tucker when everything went down, instead of staying in Amity Park like she had to look for Danny. She just knew that she hated seeing him that way, and they had barely even talked for a few minutes.

But Jazz was right- it was all she could do to just put one foot forward and do the best that she could. They had to deal with Vlad first, and then they could worry about other things, like about Danny.

At least she knew who she could take her very well deserved anger out on. If Vlad thought he was going to get away with any of this well- he had another thing coming.


End file.
